The present invention relates to devices for blending a concentrated beverage ingredient such as a fruit juice concentrate with a diluent such as water at a specified ratio and mixing the blend so as to produce a uniform homogeneous mixed beverage. Such devices are employed where it is desirable to store the beverage concentrate in bulk quantities and dispense the mixed beverage in individual servings.
Previous devices for diluting, mixing and dispensing a beverage concentrate have employed pressure regulators to control the flow of the diluent and constant volume pumps to provide a measured quantity of the concentrate. Blending, mixing and dispensing has been accomplished by intersecting streams of the concentrate and diluent and permitting the merged streams to diffuse to atmospheric pressure and thereafter swirling the merged streams in an enlarged flow area chamber to provide uniform mixing. An example of this type of mixing and dispensing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,388 to D. E. Holcomb. An example of a system utilizing a pressure regulator for controlling the flow of diluent in a mixed beverage dispensing system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,861 to J. R. McMillin. It is also known to provide a constant flow control device in the diluent line rather than using a pressure regulator as described in the copending application of Arthur Kulis, Ser. No. 740,920 filed Nov. 11, 1976, now abandoned and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
In dispensers of the above-described type, the mixing of the concentrate ingredient and diluent occur at atmospheric pressure and low discharge velocities and, consequently, it is difficult to provide a uniform homogeneous mixed beverage. It has thus been desired to find a suitable technique for mixing the concentrate ingredient and diluent at higher velocities and pressures prior to diffusing the mixed beverage to atmospheric pressure and low velocity for dispensing.